BT launches ‘home smartphone’

Ever thought about having a smartphone for the home? No? It doesn’t seem to make sense, as isn’t the premise of such a device its mobility? Well, such is the power of technology, it fundamentally changes the way we understand things.

And so it is, in 2015, BT becomes – to the best of our knowledge – the first company in the world to launch a smartphone designed to be used at home. Welcome to a new age of innovation.

Dubbed the Home Smartphone SII, this rather engaging device is pitched as being a device that has all the attributes of a smartphone, except, well, in effect, it’s a home phone.

So, in what way does it achieve this radically new concept? For one, the design has all the hallmarks of a smartphone – it looks, feels and acts like such a device. In fact, if it is out of its dock, resting on a table, you’d think it were just another smartphone.

This is an interesting development and may mark a new era in home phone design – traditionally, these have been comparatively larger than their smartphone equivalent. Design wise also, they have been a little too “old school”.

Elsewhere, BT’s Home Smartphone SII comes with a touchscreen interface and access to Google Play – this is evidently intended to be a device that is more than just about making calls (again, another reimagining of the home phone).

“We are extremely pleased to be adding Google Play to our Home SmartPhone SII which opens up access to the biggest app store available,” said Erik Raphael, director of Wi-Fi and Devices at BT.

“The home smartphone provides an excellent solution for getting everyone in the family online whenever they need access. The Home SmartPhone SII makes the home phone central to family life again, allowing you to look up numbers online and communicate with friends and family via email, facebook or calls.”

In effect, you now have an additional smartphone, meaning you have more options to catch up on emails, chat to friends, browse the web, update your activities on social media and catch up on the news.

Some of the unique selling points of this smartphone include its nuisance call block technology. It is said to be so powerful that it can block up to 80 per cent of unwanted calls. The last thing anyone wants when relaxing at home is to be disturbed by problematic callers.

Finally, other features include 2GB of expandable memory – you can download music and videos – has a range of 50-metres indoors and 300-metres outdoors and can store up to 1,500 contacts.

It’s certainly a novel development and will, without a shadow of a doubt, shake up the home phone market. We’ve become so dependent on our actual smartphones, that we kind of forgot about our home phone. Not anymore.